Two years after the devastating earthquake that killed more than 300,000 people in Haiti, scenes of desperation remain. A cholera outbreak has claimed thousands of lives. An estimated 100,000 people became amputees from injuries suffered in the quake. Mental illness, brought by lingering trauma from the destruction, remains a challenge, officials say.

But in a small ceremony last week, Haiti demonstrated its resilience and hope for the future with the dedication of the new $1.3 million National Nursing School of Port-au-Prince — a moment that prompted wide grins in Oak Brook. The Lions Clubs International Foundation, based in the western suburb, helped rebuild and fund the school, where more than 100 students, staff and teachers died in the disaster. The work by the organization is part of an ongoing effort in the Chicago area to help rebuild the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Another example occurred last week in Aurora, where a forklift at Feed My Starving Children loaded pallets packed with nearly 300,000 meals for starving Haitians. And yet another will happen in early March when the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad holds a symposium in Chicago on how to address Haiti's public health challenges.

Read the rest of the article Tricom helped place in the Chicago Tribune here.